BN1 chats to… Haiku Hands

Australian, three-piece Haiku Hans have made waves in recent times. With a unique alternative, indie dance sound, they are breaking the mold for modern girl groups. They’re certainly not another Little Mix. Think of The Ting Tings with a bit of Bjork, and even some Spice Girls. Highlighted as a new act to look out for by the NME and Vogue, they are certainly set for great things. Ahead of their Brighton show in August, we fired off a few questions to the girls.

Back in May last year you played The Great Escape festival in the city. Did you enjoy the festival? Did you get to party and watch some other bands?

We had a good time at The Great Escape festival. From our first show where we played to a packed room (this was the first show we ever played in the UK), until our last night where we stayed up all night and watched the sun come up. The highlight of the festival was playing at the pub on the beautiful pier with rides all over it. At this gig, we had one of the bar staff come up to us when we had just jumped off stage holding a handful of blown light bulbs. She said they had started blowing one by one during our set, this was quite a satisfying thing to hear. This festival gave us the energy to give everything we had for the rest of our tour in Europe. Sadly, we didn’t get to see any other bands!

You have a compelling future-pop sound. What musical influences got you to this point?

Sooooooo many. We all listen to quite different music to each other. I think this has been a big contributor to creating our sound. The meeting point for us are some of our childhood favourites such as the Beastie Boys and Missy Elliot. We all get down to CLiQ, Alika, Black Canviar, Major Lazer, Yaeji, Elliphant, Die Antwoord……..

Being a Melbourne band, how does playing in Europe feel different?

Every place we play in is unique. When we play in Europe, we spend a lot more time repeating the country’s name where we are performing before going onto stage.

Claire and Mie being sisters, how did Beatrice complete the trio?

I was the last addition to the trio. Bea and Claire started writing together before they got an offer to play at Falls Festival and asked me to join them on stage.

What is the meaning behind the name of the band, or is it just two cool words that sound good together?

Haiku is a short poem that consists of 17 syllables in three lines of five, seven and five. I think these poems have a beautiful way of using only a few words to create a feeling or message. We hope to do this in our lyrics. The poems traditionally refer to nature, which is a big love of everyone in the band. We see Haiku Hands as being a collective, as we are lucky enough to create with lots of different people. The hands represent the many hands that contribute to making this project. We think the two words sound good together too.

When is the album finally going to drop? What can we expect from it?

The album release date will be a surprise, keep your eyes peeled. You can expect to send up from your chair.

How was supporting Bloc Party on their last Australian tour? What was the reception like?

It was really great to be playing in such big venues and we really enjoyed meeting the guys from Block Party, they are all very lovely people. Our music is so different from Block Party, I think the audience was quite shocked. It was cool to see the people in the crowd getting into our stuff. They looked puzzled at first but the puzzled-ness was joined by head nodding and smiling not too far into our set.

Your music makes everyone want to get up and dance. Is that something you wanted to encapsulate in your music? (I’m guessing probably by the single’s title Dare you not to Dance)

I’m so happy to hear that. Yes, we wanted to make music you can dance to.

Your live shows are raved about as being ‘electrifying’. Are they a big part of your image?

Do you feel people need to see you live for the proper Haiku Hands experience? I’d be happy for the music to stand alone but if people are saying our shows are ‘electrifying’, then please do come to see us!

BN1 Magazine is the leading source of entertainment and lifestyle news in Brighton & Hove. From comedy and theatre to clubbing, music and festival line-ups, we cover a range of events across Sussex and beyond. We can help you find a fabulous vegetarian restaurant, catch an amazing new band at The Great Escape and see a hypnotising performance at Brighton Fringe. Sometimes all in the same weekend… Whether you’re a student and new in town, trying to pack plenty of family fun into a visit or a local planning a massive night out, we’ll tell you everything you need to know. From pubs and bars to art and shopping, it’s time to kiss those lonely blues away in one of the world’s most interesting cities.